Berhampur (Odisha), March 9 Family members of a migrant worker from Odisha, who died at his workplace in Qatar, have appealed to the government to bring his body back to his village in the Ganjam district.
The Arab country has been affected by the West Asia conflict.
An officer from the Ganjam district said on Monday that a preliminary inquiry into his death was conducted following the family's request, and a decision will be made after reviewing the inquiry report.
The deceased, Kuna Khuntia (25), was from Naikanipalli in the Khallikote block. He was the sole earning member of the family, working as a labourer for a private construction company in Doha for the past five months.
After returning from work on Friday night, he went to sleep and did not wake up, a family member said. His colleagues took him to a hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead, Jaya Khuntia, the deceased's father, told his family members.
"We don't know how he died. We have requested the government to bring his body to the village to perform his last rites," he said.
The cause of death will only be known after receiving the medical report, Khuntia said.
"He had been in constant contact with us following the conflict in West Asia. We did not expect such news all of a sudden," said Runu, the deceased's mother.
The family had plans to marry him off after his return to the village this year. He was the sole breadwinner of his poor family, they said.
"We have requested the tahasildar of Khallikote to make arrangements to bring his body from Qatar to the village," said Mithun Khuntia, the local sarpanch.
District Labour Officer Barsarani Jena said that they conducted a preliminary inquiry on Monday regarding his death.
"We have also recorded the statements of his family members. We will submit the inquiry report to the state's labour commissioner soon, through the district collector, to take further steps," Jena said.
Around 30 people in the village were working in the war-affected Gulf region, including Qatar, as labourers.